Some time ago I discovered that one of my chairs had a broken leg. I didn’t think there would be any difficulty in getting it mended, as there are a whole lot of antique(古董)shops near my home. So I left home one morning carrying the chair with me. I went into the first shop expecting a friendly reception. I was quite wrong. The man wouldn’t even look at my chair.
The second shop, though slightly more polite, was just the same, and the third and the fourth—so I decided that my approach must be wrong.
I entered the fifth shop with a plan in my mind. I placed the chair on the floor and said to the shopkeeper, “Would you like to buy a chair?” “Twenty pounds,” I said. “OK,” he said. “I’ll give you twenty pounds.” “It’s got a slightly broken leg,” I said. “Yes, I saw that. It’s nothing.”
Everything was going according to the plan and I was getting excited. “What will you do with it?” I asked. “Oh, it will be easy to sell once the repair is done.” “I’ll buy it,” I said. “What do you mean? You’ve just sold it to me,” he said. “Yes, I know but I’ve changed my mind. I am sorry. I’ll give you twenty-seven pounds for it.” “You must be crazy,” he said. Then, suddenly the penny dropped. “I know what you want. You want me to repair your chair.” “You’re right,” I said. “And what would you have done if I had walked in and said, ‘Would you mend this chair for me?’” “I wouldn’t have agreed to do it,” he said. “We don’t do repairs, not enough money in it and too much trouble. But I’ll mend this for you. Shall we say for a fiver?” He was a very nice man and was greatly amused by the whole thing.
1. We can learn from the text that in the first shop the writer .
A. was rather impolite
B. was warmly received
C. asked the shopkeeper to buy his chair
D. asked the shopkeeper to repair his chair
2. The underlined word “approach” in the second paragraph means .
A. plan for dealing with things B. decision to sell tings
C. idea of repairing things D. way of doing things
3. The expression “the penny dropped” in the last paragraph means the shopkeeper .
A. changed his mind B. accepted the offer
C. saw the writer’s purpose D. decided to help the write
4. How much did the writer want to pay for the repair at first?
A. £ 5. B. £ 7. C. £ 20. D. £ 27.
Daniel Boone was born in the United States in 1734. He didn't go to school and couldn't read, although he learned all about the forests, streams and hunting. He could move silently like an Indian leaving no marks. He loved to live alone in the woods where nothing frightened him.
When he grew up, he married and tried to settle down on a farm. A year later, however, he wasn't satisfied and decided to go into the unknown western lands, crossing the Appalachian Mountains. When he returned after two years, he became famous for his long journey. He brought valuable animal skins and told stories about the Indians.
After this, he chose to keep travelling to unknown places. Once he lost to the Indians in battle and was taken away. The Indians liked him and became his friends.
Daniel Boone died at the age of 86. He is remembered as an explorer(探险者)and a pioneer who lived an exciting life in the early years of American nation.Daniel Boone's early life was mainly spent in ______ .
A.learning about nature |
B.hunting with his friends |
C.learning useful skills from the Indians |
D.studying at home because he couldn't go to school |
When he got married, Daniel Boone first planned to ______.
A.set up a large farm |
B.go on a journey with his wife |
C.find food, new land for his farm |
D.live a peaceful life with his family |
Daniel Boone became famous because ______ .
A.he travelled a lot in the western lands |
B.he was very good at telling stories |
C.he found better animal skins than others |
D.he was the first to climb the Appalachian Mountains |
Why did the Indians want to make friends with him?
A.Because they wanted to learn from him. |
B.Because he wanted to make peace with them. |
C.Because they wanted to make friends with white people. |
D.No reason is told in this article. |
In this article, Daniel Boone is best described as ______ .
A.warm-hearted | B.strong |
C.careful | D.brave |
Now and again I have had horrible dreams, but not enough of them to make me lose my delight in dreams. To begin with. I like the idea of dreaming, of going to bed and lying still and then, by some queer magic(神奇的魔力), wandering into another kind of existence. As a child, I could never understand why grown-ups took dreaming so calmly when they could make such a fuss(大惊小怪) about any holiday, This still puzzles me. I am puzzled by people who say they never dream and appear to have no interest in the subject. It is much more astonishing than it would be if they said they never went out for a walk. Most people do not seem to accept dreaming as part of their lives. They appear to see it as an irritating(令人困扰的) little habit, like sneezing or yawning(打哈欠).I can never understand this. My dream life does not seem as important as my waking life because there is far less of it, but to me it is important.What is the author’s attitude toward dreaming?
A.He likes it | B.He thinks it puzzling |
C.He hates it | D.He doesn’t accept it as part of his life |
For the author of the passage, dreaming is.
A.an irritating little habit |
B.a horrible but wonderful experience |
C.a true reflection of reality |
D.another kind of existence |
The author of the passage suggests that people who say they never go out for a walk are.
A.interesting | B.mysterious(难以理解的) | C.foolish | D.lazy |
The author of the passage enjoys dreaming most .
A.only when he was a child | B.only when he is a grown-up |
C.both as a child and as a grown-up | D.only in his old age |
The author of the passage complains(抱怨) that most people .
A.are overexcited about their dreams |
B.have had dreams most of the time |
C.are not interested in talking about their dreams |
D.consider their dreams of too much importance |
The man sitting opposite Robert was the Financial Controller. Everybody called him “the FC” for short. He made all the decisions about money. Robert needed some more. That was why he had to see him. The two men did not get on very well. In fact, they had always disliked each other.
“Your request is out of the question,” the FC said. Robert had difficulty in controlling himself, but he managed somehow. He explained that he wanted the money in order to make more programmes.
“And why do you want to do that?” the FC asked sharply. Again, Robert almost lost his temper. “Because more and more people are listening to my department’s programmes. There’s great demand for them,” he answered.
The FC did not seem to believe him. But Robert had a report on the numbers of listeners to all EBC programmes. The FC became less confident. Robert threw the report down on the table and told him to read it.
The FC looked at it in silence. The figures (数字) proved that he had been wrong, but he did not want to admit it. “Well,” he finally said, “I may have made a small mistake.” Robert noticed the word “may.” He got up to leave. But he had the feeling that he would get the money after all.In the story the Financial Controller was a person who was in charge of
A.Robert’s department’s programmes | B.EBC programmes |
C.EBC money | D.both B and C |
“Your request is out of the question.”Here “out of the question”means
A.without any question | B.with some question |
C.impossible | D.possible |
Robert decided to make more programmes because
A.he wanted to meet the needs of the listeners |
B.“the FC” disliked him |
C.the members of his department wanted him to do so |
D.he wanted to show himself off |
Why were more and more people listening to Robert’s programmes?
A.Because he always lost his temper (脾气) |
B.Because he disliked “the FC” |
C.Because the programmes were rich and to the taste of the listeners |
D.We don’t know |
Who do you think won the argument(争论)in the end?
A.The Financial Controller | B.Robert | C.Nobody | D.The listeners |
Read the following directions on a bottle of medicine:
“Take two tablets(药片)with water, followed by one tablet every eight hours, as required, For maximum night-time and early morning relief, take two tablets at bed - time, Do not take more than six tablets in twenty-four hours.
For children six to twelve years old, give half the amount for a grownup. For children under six years old, ask for your doctor’s advice.
Reduce the amount if nervousness, restlessness, or sleeplessness occurs,”The directions on this medicine bottle clearly warn the patient not to take more than.
A.twenty-four tablets a day. | B.eight tablets a day. |
C.six tablets a day. | D.three tablets a day. |
We can infer from the directions that _______.
A.the medicine could cause some people to feel nervous. |
B.children may take the same amount that grown-ups take. |
C.one may not take this medicine before going to bed. |
D.the medicine is a liquid. |
If one cannot sleep, it is suggested that he _________ .
A.take two tablets before going to bed. |
B.take less than two tablets before going to bed. |
C.stop taking the medicine. |
D.ask advice of a doctor. |
Obviously the medicine _________ .
A.may be dangerous to small children. |
B.cannot be taken by children under twelve years old. |
C.may be taken by children but not by grown-ups. |
D.may be taken by grown-ups but not by children. |
What does the underlined word “ restlessness” in the last paragraph mean?
A.失眠 | B.过敏 | C.心悸 | D.坐立不安 |
[1] Many good reasons for parents to send their children to camps.
[2]When children go to camp, they are on their own, sometimes for the very first time in their lives. They have to decide what to wear, what to eat and which activities to participate in. As a result they develop confidence and independence.
[3]As self-respect develops from learning to be on their own, children continue to try new activities. Also it is possible that they will engage in what they are unfamiliar with. In school, children do not experience success in the same way. Camp can be a school without failure because just having fun makes them a success.
[4]One of the greatest benefits of a camp experience is that children develop social skills. In a camp setting, a good counselor will make sure that every camper is included in the activity and that each child interacts with the others in a positive way. They learn to give and take, and they learn how to work and cooperate. Something as simple as clean-up, is not only there to get the cabin clean, but to promote a team atmosphere of working together which in turn results in friendship.
[5]The obvious benefit of camp is that campers make long lasting friendships. These friendships can often be unique and special because campers are living with each other and see the true personalities. Children learn to see others from a different viewpoint. Children tend to be accepted for who they are and do not have to be concerned about what they wear, what they are good at and how they look. This is because in a camp setting, respect and caring finally win out over materialistic objectives.
[6]In a word, camp does give children fun, friends and fulfillment.What do you think may be the best title for this passage? (No more than 10 words)
____________________________________________________________________________The underlined phrase “on their own” in Paragraph 2 can be replaced by ________.
(No more than one word)
____________________________________________________________________________According to Paragraph 3, what makes camping different from a school?
(No more than 10 words)
____________________________________________________________________________What is the main idea of Paragraph 4? (No more than 10 words)
____________________________________________________________________________According to Paragraph 5, why can camping improve friendship? (No more than 10 words)
____________________________________________________________________________